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Item: A God Passing
2007
Video
Materials: DVD
Collection: Courtesy the artist.
A God Passing documents the transfer of the statue of Ramses to the new Egyptian Museum on the Giza Plateau. Masses of people filled the streets in 2007 and gazed with awe and respect at the colossal brightly lit statue as it was transported from the city in various segments. Almost four years later, the work was used during ‘Royal Academy Live’ to look back at the events that took place in Cairo in 2007. The primary question: “can the removal of Ramses be seen as the starting shot of the revolution in the Middle East?” One thing is certain: via Tretiakoff’s work we become witnesses to one of the first moments at which the people were able to sense their own power while the authorities stood by powerless. In the film, moreover, the entire spectacle ends in complete chaos.
